"I aspire to create art that uplifts. And that can be as simple as an image and/or color palette that is pleasing to someone’s eye and makes them smile.” – Dan Taylor
My latest #inspirations4aspirations interview is with painter, jewelry maker and arts advocate Dan Taylor (@dantaylorartist).
Dan Taylor's art is always striking and eye-catching. His paintings specifically are often thickly applied in the technique called Impasto mixed with abstract expressionist splatter paint. He often uses vibrant colors, invoking excitement and a sense of motion.
This seems consistent with Dan's own personality as he seems always to be in motion - going to one art, music or theatre event or another. I have often thought an art event is never fully certified without an appearance from Dan in his iconic glasses, suits and shoes which are all as varied in color as his art.
In addition to displaying art, he is a major proponent of the arts. He has served on the COCA
Board of Directors since 2018, and LeMoyne Art gallery's Board since 2019. Like myself, he served as a Community Catalyst for KCCI Tallahassee
Since I am a digital artist depicting an abstract one, my portrait of Dan pays homage to Norman Rockwell's painting, The Connoisseur. Originally published on the January 13, 1962 edition of the Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell depicted a Jackson Pollock style painting studied by a modern art figure.
In my version, I digitally layered color with slight bevel effects to create something similar to a splatter paint portrait of Dan. I should state no AI was used - just lots of color and study of splatter paint. The typography is inspired by Norman Rockwell's signature and a display plaque from a museum.
Where are you from and/or where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Newton, Illinois, but military service took me to California and North Carolina (I thought I’d see the world!). Post Marine Corps life had me in metro DC, Houston, and ultimately Tallahassee in 2001. I thought I’d get a year or two out of my IT consulting gig but now my partner and I definitely call Tallahassee home.
I aspire to create art that uplifts. And that can be as simple as an image and/or color palette that is pleasing to someone’s eye and makes them smile.
1) Why do you create?
Although I had been making large scale sculpture/yard art for a few years, I really only took up painting after I quit smoking. I needed something to do with my hands and fill the time I learned I had been wasting while smoking. Now creating and making are huge parts of my life. Vital parts I can’t do without.
2) When life gets you down, what inspires you to get back up?
Life doesn’t often get me down! But if it does, I try to remember that I am needed: at home, at work, at organizations where I volunteer.
What is the importance of creative communities?
I don’t think the importance of creative communities can be overstated. They’re not just places of artistic activity but powerful ecosystems that nurture creativity, connection and progress.
Can one capture a feeling or moment in color?
Absolutely. Am I great at conveying that feeling to the viewer? Not always. But I tend to work in an asynchronous manner, on one thing at a time. And that’s partly due to my need to finish my vision of what the painting should look like with color being a key component.
Jackson Pollock once said, "the modern artist is working with space and time, and expressing his feelings rather than illustrating." What do you want to express through your abstract pieces?
I think that what often comes through most powerfully in my abstract work is movement and energy. But I’m often not in tune enough with my own emotions and feelings to have conscious knowledge of what I’m trying to express. Or maybe there is no deep meaning? I can tell you that I do know I am always with the viewer, even if that person is alone with my work. I try to always remember that.
In addition to paintings, you have also created sculptures and jewelry pieces. Does the act of creation feel different between such mediums? And do your inspirations come from the same place or somewhere else depending on the project?
The act of creation across different mediums feels very much the same to me. Inspiration (and often the actual form) can come from nature: I feel my jewelry is loose and organic, my sculpture very natural, and paintings oceanic, floral or deep-spacey (is that a word). The sculpture is interesting in that the finished product can at first glance feel rigid and geometric but upon further inspection feels native, like sea oats from beautiful St. George Island.
You have worked in IT. Do you see that as different worlds? Are Dan Taylor Artist vs Dan Taylor Software Consultant the same or different?
I think they’re the same person. I have long said that my IT work, while often very binary, can be incredibly creative. Seeing patterns in a problem and then finding a solution absolutely require creativity.
Many thanks to my inspiration and aspiration, Dan Taylor. I’m John Lhotka, wishing you a nice day, and all that jazz.